I’ve been fortunate to have two opportunities to try North African food – one on a family vacation to Egypt and another with friends in Calgary.

Being a fan of big flavors, this is certainly one of my favorite cuisines. I love that many dishes from places like Morocco and Egypt are slow cooked, which allows all the different spices to meld together.

These qualities also make it perfect for dinner parties and so for the first time I prepared a Moroccan feast for my husband’s birthday.

My guests ranged from people who think food needs to be so spicy that it melts your face to people who can’t stand black pepper. With my Moroccan menu, I could deliver spiced food that wasn’t spicy.

Plus the dishes I’ll share below could be cooked ahead of time, which is a must with a high energy 4-year-old underfoot.

Remember to send your recipes and requests to Give and Take, 205 River Drive S., 59405 or email giveandtake@greatfallstribune.com. We’d love to feature your favorites – or help you find a new favorite – in a future column.

Add lamb and toss to coat. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add lamb to skillet and cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally and adding 2 more Tbsp. oil to skillet between batches, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer lamb to another large bowl after each batch.

Add onion and tomato paste to drippings in skillet. Reduce heat to medium; sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add broth, garbanzo beans, apricots, tomatoes, cinnamon sticks, ginger, and lemon peel and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Return lamb to skillet and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until lamb is just tender, about one hour. Uncover and simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer lamb and sauce to bowl. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

I twisted this recipe quite a bit when I made it. First I substituted chicken breast and boneless thighs for lamb because my family isn’t a fan of lamb and chicken is easier to find and less expensive.

The other thing I did was to first brown the chicken pieces in a skillet, seasoning with just salt and pepper. I added all the seasonings when I added the chicken stock.

Finally, I added cubed carrots and sweet potatoes because I’m always trying to sneak more veggies into my meals. It also made it heartier and could be a standalone meal with couscous or rice.

SQUASH SOUP

Ingredients

1 head garlic, for roasting (or you may sub 2 cloves garlic, not roasted)

2 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 red bell pepper, chopped

4 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 tsp. spicy curry powder

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped (or 1/4 tsp. dried)

14 ounce can coconut milk

2 cups veggie broth

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 ounces goat cheese, softened, plus more for topping

Roughly chopped cilantro, plus pistachios, for topping

Arils from one pomegranate, for topping

Coconut Ginger Cream

1/2 cup cooled canned coconut milk

1-2 tbsp. fresh ginger

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Chop off the top portion of the garlic head to reveal cloves. Peel any excess paper/skin off the bulb of garlic. Pour about one tsp. of olive oil on top of the garlic cloves and cover with foil. Roast for 45 minutes, or until the garlic is golden brown and soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool five minutes. Squeeze garlic out of the paper skin into a small bowl, mash well with a fork and set aside.

Meanwhile, add the coconut oil to a large soup pot set over medium heat. Once hot, add the red pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes or until soft. Add the cubed butternut squash, spicy curry powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes then pour in the coconut milk and veggie broth. Bring the soup to boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the butternut squash is fork tender.

While the soup is cooking, make the ginger cream.

Add the cold coconut milk and 1 Tbsp. ginger to a small bowl. Taste and add more ginger if needed. Cover and place in the fridge until ready to serve.

Once the butternut squash is tender, add the roasted garlic and the crumbled goat cheese to the soup. Remove the pot from the stove and allow to cool slightly, then puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Return the soup back to the stove and heat through.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowl. Drizzle the coconut ginger cream over the soup and swirl with a spoon. Garnish with chopped cilantro, chopped pistachios and crumbled goat cheese. Sprinkle with pomegranate arils.

PISTACHIO & MINT COUSCOUS

Ingredients

1/3 cup shelled pistachio nuts

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cups couscous

Salt and pepper

1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves

Toast the nuts in a saucepot suitable for rice.

Remove to a food processor and finely chop. Reserve.

Add the olive oil and garlic to the pot and stir 1 to 2 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the couscous, cover the pot, turn off the heat and let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, pulse-chop the mint in food processor until very fine. Stir the mint and reserved ground nuts into the couscous as you fluff with a fork.

This soup was one of my favorite squash soup recipes that I’ve made. All the garnishes dress up the dish, add texture and the pomegranate adds a nice hit of acid. That said, for a weekly dinner night, the soup is both tasty and interesting on its own.

MOROCCAN CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream, chilled

1 1/2 tsp. agave nectar

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. salt

8 ounces dark chocolate (70 percent cacao), chopped

Stir together the heavy cream, agave, cinnamon, cumin and salt in a large bowl.

Place the chopped chocolate in the bowl of a double boiler. Set the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water and stir until the chocolate is fully melted, about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pot and set on a dish towel to dry the bottom of the bowl.

Using a hand-held mixer, whip the spiced cream just until it forms soft peaks, 2 to 3 minutes; be careful not to over-whip. Now, using a rubber spatula, quickly and gently fold the melted chocolate into the whipped cream. Serve immediately, or divide the mousse among serving bowls and refrigerate until ready to serve